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Parks

Aaron Parks is a master of tones here – not just the ones from his own piano and keyboards, which can come spiraling out with effortless ease – but also the sound of the quartet's guitar from Greg Tuohey, which often has its own way of shading things in! The album may well be the most dynamic we've ever heard from Parks – a set that's as focused on his own skills on the keys as it is the overall sound of the music – yet at a level that never has the latter sacrificing the former, that is – having the concept get in the way of the execution. The rest of the group features David Ginyard on bass and Tommy Crane on drums – and titles include "The Trickster", "Professor Strangeweather", "Kid", "Small Planet", "The Fool", "Good Morning", "Rising Mind", "Hearth", and "Mandala". LP, Vinyl record album

2

Lloyd Parks & We The People —
Meet The People ... LPParks/Pressure Sounds (UK), 1978. New Copy (reissue)...
$16.9918.98

An incredibly righteous set from Lloyd Parks and his We The People band – a record that may well even top some of the most soulful sets of the roots reggae years! Parks is both bassist and singer on the set – and his strong tones on the bottom really define the slow-stepping rhythms – followed by the group with excellent riffing guitar from Winston Bowen and bobbling organ from Franklyn Waul – all recorded at Joe Gibbs', and featuring the top of Parks' mighty talents – from songwriting, through arranging, to the production for the whole album! Titles include "Reality", "Life Ain't Easy", "Ordinary Man", "Trench Town Girl", "I want To Go Home", and "Ah Rock Dis Yah Bass Line". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Marvin Parks – a hell of a jazz singer, and one that we'd place in an elite legacy that runs from Oscar Brown up through Jose James! The work here is wonderful – as Nicola Conte produced the record, and gives it the same sort of jazzy sparkle as his own sublime records of the past decade – a groove that's never too overstated, but is also a reworking of an older 60s soul jazz mode – but refitted with all the right sort of sophistication to match Marvin's wonderful voice! There's no programmed rhythms at all – all the instrumentation is live jazz – and titles include a great new take on the Conte tunes "Sea & Sand" and "Awakening" – plus the original "African Other Blues", and versions of "Charade", "How Insensitive", "The Very Thought Of You", "Brother Where Are You", "Nature Boy", "If I Should Lose You", and "Swingin Shepherd Blues". 2LP version features 3 bonus tracks – "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "If You Could See Me Now", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A completely unique little set from singer Steve Parks – a set cut in the Bay Area scene of the early 80s – but done with a righteous 70s vibe that mixes jazz, soul, and bits of Latin influences as well! The overall approach is definitely soul, but there's plenty of jazz inflections in the vocals and instrumentation – a vibe that's not unlike the best sound of Jon Lucien on RCA, but which is carried here by Parks with a bit more force – and these undeniably fluid vocals sounds that really blow us away! Instrumentation is right on the money – warm, jazzy, and never hokey at all – with lots of great acoustic percussion at the core. Titles include the massive sample track "Movin In The Right Direction" – plus "All In A Day", "Everything's Gonna Be OK", "Don't Stop Now", "The Golden Key", and "Sadness In My Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

Outkast's first single from Aquemini – one of the great southern hip hop singles of the late 90s and an important creative benchmark for Big Boi, Andre 3000 and Organized Noize however you might feel about their use of the civil rights heroine's name! As fresh, soulful & uniquely Outkast today as ever. 12-inch, Vinyl record

A righteously powerful piece from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – a tribute to the political power of Rosa Parks, and her lasting legacy in American history – served up as an oratorio of seven songs, performed with a nicely shifting lineup! The album is one of the most ambitious we've heard from Smith in years – and in addition to participation from the Red Koral string quartet, the set also features the Blue Trumpet quartet, the Diamond Voices vocal group, and other solo performances as well! Amidst the changing instrumentation and focus of each passage, Smith also finds space to add in excerpts from older avant jazz recordings too – the somewhat surprising appearance of Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Steve McCall amidst the performances that create the album. The whole thing's a bit difficult to describe in words, but it definitely lives up to any promise you might expect for a project like this from Wadada Leo Smith – with selections that include "The Truth", "No Fear", "Pure Love", "Resistance & Unity", and "The First Light Gold". CD

A righteously powerful piece from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith – a tribute to the political power of Rosa Parks, and her lasting legacy in American history – served up as an oratorio of seven songs, performed with a nicely shifting lineup! The album is one of the most ambitious we've heard from Smith in years – and in addition to participation from the Red Koral string quartet, the set also features the Blue Trumpet quartet, the Diamond Voices vocal group, and other solo performances as well! Amidst the changing instrumentation and focus of each passage, Smith also finds space to add in excerpts from older avant jazz recordings too – the somewhat surprising appearance of Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Steve McCall amidst the performances that create the album. The whole thing's a bit difficult to describe in words, but it definitely lives up to any promise you might expect for a project like this from Wadada Leo Smith – with selections that include "The Truth", "No Fear", "Pure Love", "Resistance & Unity", and "The First Light Gold". CD

Bizarre is right – and incredibly hip too! This was the group's second album – and while it has a lot of similarities with the first, it's also a lot deeper of an expression of their strange blend of harmony vocals, sweet 60s pop, and the nostalgia for the early 20th century that was running through the Burbank Warner scene that included a young Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Lenny Waronker, and other LA underground of the mid 60s. The whole record fits together beautifully – beginning with an old-timey radio kind of announcer, then sliding into sublimely crafted harmony tunes that include originals from the LA luminaries and the group, plus a few other surprising covers. Titles include the hit version of "Anything Goes", plus "The Biggest Night Of Her Life", "Milord", "Virginia City", "High Coin", "Jessie", "This Is Only The Beginning", and "You Need A Change". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful stuff! You probably know Mama Cass as one of the "mamas" in the Mamas & Papas – but she's got an insane pop vision on her own, a mad mix of the sweet, psychedelic, and historic, filtered through the haze of a late 60s LA summer afternoon. File this one next to your gems by The Association, Harper's Bizarre, and Van Dyke Parks – and you'll grow to love Mama for her tripped-out groovy pop! Titles include "You Know Who I Am", "Sweet Believer", "Rubber Band", "Long Time Loving You", and "California Earthquake". LP, Vinyl record album

Two often wonderful earlier titles by of one of the great oddball songwriters of the last forty years on one CD! The Harry album is certainly the bridge between Nilsson's two previous wildly bombastic LPs, and the slightly more subdued material that popped up on the Schmilsson and later records. Harry runs the gamut from the cute and gentle "The Puppy Song" and "Mournin' Glory Song", to the more gonzo stuff. Other tracks include "Mother Nature's Son", "Fairfax Rag", and "I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City". Nilsson Sings Newman, written by a then fairly unknown Randy Newman was certainly an odd project to undertake for an artist generally regarded as a songwriting talent, but boy is the world better because of it! The whole album is a delicate masterpiece, utilizing Nilsson's great voice to its best-ever effect, and completely disregarding the sometimes self-indulgent trappings of his own writing in favor of Newman's more earnest, and endearingly cynical New Orleans bred pop. Beautiful! Tracks include "Vine St." (also recorded by Van Dyke Parks), "Love Story", "Caroline", Cowboy", and "Living Without You". There's also two bonus tracks not on the original LPs – "Waiting" and "Snow". CD

A nice retrospective of the ATL's Yin and Yang – but only essential if you don't already own at least two of the proper albums. The set does include three brand new tracks – "The Whole World", "Funkin' Around" and "Movin' Cool (After The Party)" plus 13 other tracks pulled almost equally from Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, ATLiens, Aquemini, and Stankonia. Another couple of LPs before the greatest hits set would have been appreciated, but truth be told we can't argue too strongly against an opportunity to hear all these great cuts without the usual skits! Includes "Ain't No Thang", "So Fresh So Clean", "Rosa Parks", "Aquemini", "B.O.B.", "Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik", "Crumblin' Erb", "Players Ball", "Ms. Jackson" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Biff Rose – a near-lost singer-songwriter from the late 60s, barely remembered as the author of "Fill Your Heart" from David Bowie's Hunky Dory album – but an incredible talent that we'd rank right up there with Van Dyke Parks or early Randy Newman for sheer American brilliance! As in the work of Parks, there's a quality here that's completely unique – informed by the freedoms of the folk generation, but tuned with older-styled arrangements that while full, still manage to convey a sense of person and presence – as in some of the best early recordings of Leonard Cohen. And like Cohen, Rose has a really poetically-styled approach to his lyrics – far beyond the sardonic eye of folkies, or the indulgence of hippies – and infused with a sense of hope that crackles out of the tunes along with his own crackly vocals. Vocally, we'd almost link Rose to Bob Dorough for a sheer "oh what the hell I'm just gonna sing this" approach – and like Dorough, there's no silliness at all – but real sincerity where we'd never expect it, in a way that leaves us breathless. Children Of Light features spare arrangements and a bit of moog from Van Dyke Parks and Nick Woods! Tracks include "Ain't No Great Day", "Just Like A Man", "American Waltz", "Son In Moon", "Color Blind Blues", "Children Of Light", and "To Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

(Cover has light surface wear and some light staining on the bottom right corner.)

Thiefs are a jazz combo at the core – outfitted with saxes, acoustic bass, and drums – but all three members also use a fair bit of electronics, and do so in a way that opens the door to a range of different voices that help shape the sound of the record! The mode is a bit like some of the more creative jazz-inspired projects coming from the LA scene of late – such as work on the Ropeadope label – and there's definitely some righteous power to the vocals on the set, thanks to contributions from Mike Ladd, Gael Faye, and Guillermo E Brown. Aaron Parks plays piano and keyboard on most of the set – and there's a vibe here that's a bit like his own work too – on titles that include "I Live In Fear", "Anthro", "Pas D'Ici", "Iwbah", "Beat One", and "Anthro". CD

One of the weirdest albums of the 60s, and a surprisingly big hit for the legendary Tiny Tim – a character then know to TV audiences for his appearances on Laugh-In and other shows – but an artist who sounds surprisingly culture-counter all these years later! The album's got some wonderfully odd elements in the production and arrangements – the former by Richard Perry, the latter by Artie Butler – all in that hip faux-nostalgia style that was huge in the Warner/Reprise universe of the time. And although Tim's certainly weirder and maybe goofier than Harper's Bizarre, Van Dyke Parks, and Randy Newman – you can definitely hear a through line to that scene in this album – as well as links to other odd 60s moments by folks like Brute Force or John Simon. Tunes are both old and new, and all are completely remade by Tiny Time – songs that include the hit "Tip Toe Thru The Tulips", plus a fantastic cover of the Biff Rose tune "Fill Your Heart", and "The Coming Home Party", "The Other Side", "Daddy Daddy What Is Heaven Like", "Welcome To My Dream", "The Viper", and "On The Old Front Porch". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirdest albums of the 60s, and a surprisingly big hit for the legendary Tiny Tim – a character then know to TV audiences for his appearances on Laugh-In and other shows – but an artist who sounds surprisingly culture-counter all these years later! The album's got some wonderfully odd elements in the production and arrangements – the former by Richard Perry, the latter by Artie Butler – all in that hip faux-nostalgia style that was huge in the Warner/Reprise universe of the time. And although Tim's certainly weirder and maybe goofier than Harper's Bizarre, Van Dyke Parks, and Randy Newman – you can definitely hear a through line to that scene in this album – as well as links to other odd 60s moments by folks like Brute Force or John Simon. Tunes are both old and new, and all are completely remade by Tiny Time – songs that include the hit "Tip Toe Thru The Tulips", plus a fantastic cover of the Biff Rose tune "Fill Your Heart", and "The Coming Home Party", "The Other Side", "Daddy Daddy What Is Heaven Like", "Welcome To My Dream", "The Viper", and "On The Old Front Porch". This fab CD features the rare mono version – only a promo issue at the time – plus lots of mono bonus tracks that include "Little Girl", "April Showers", "Bring Back Those Rockabye Baby Days", "Hello Hello", and a number of Artie Butler instrumental tracks too! CD

A rare postwar jazz treasure from Japan – one of those great 50s albums that bring together some of the rising talents on the Tokyo scene – almost as proof that, musically at least, Japan was really getting back on its feet! The range of talents here is great – and there's almost a Verve-like blend of swing and bop, small ensemble and big band – with material that includes "Barbaroa" and "Mago Uta" by Hiroshi Watanabe & His Star Dusters, "Memories Of You" and "Air Mail Special" from Shoji Suzuki & His Rhythm Aces, "The Main In The Raincoat" from Keiichiro Ebihara, "Stardust" from Chiemi Eri, "Mambo De Flute" and "Who Parks The Car" by Shin Watanabe & His Six Joes, and "Floor Show" from Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats. CD

Ben Wendel's got a nicely edgey sound to his music here – blowing both tenor and bassoon with these raspy elements that are powerful, even when subtle – set up in a set of 12 tracks that follows the calendar month by month! In truth, we at first didn't even notice this gimmick – just marveled at the nicely poetic way that Wendel delivers the music – maybe somewhere in an ECM mode, but with a bit more bite – in a quintet with Aaron Parks on piano, Gilad Hekselman on guitar, Matt Brewer on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Park and Hekselman definitely add a lot to the sound – their contributions here are as strong as on their own records – and titles include "January", "February", "March", "April", and so on. CD

One of the most novel, and dare we say coolest alternative soundtrack compilations of the late 80s! Stay Awake features a wildly diverse roster of artists covering, reinterpreting and paying tribute to songs from older Disney films – including Tom Waits, Sun Ra & His Arkestra, Natalie Merchant & Michael Stipe, Aaron Neville, Bill Frisell, NRBQ, Betty Carter, Garth Hudson of The Band, The Replacements & many more – and goes a lot farther than just inviting disparate musical figures to do versions of classic songs. The material is arranged into suites and medleys that have a strangely effective flow regardless of how jaw-droppingly diverse the voices and players might be from one movement to the next. This one should be considered a late feather in the cap for creativity at A&M Records! Includes "Pink Elephants On Parade" by Sun Ra, When You Wish Upon A Star" by Ringo Starr & Herb Alpert (co-produced by Van Dyke Parks), "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" by Harry Nilsson, "Hey Ho (The Dwarfs Marching Song)" by Tom Waits, "I Wan'Na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" by Los Lobos, "Stay Awake" by Suzanne Vega, "Cruella De Ville" by The Replacements and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

11 fat Joe Gibbs productions, with rhythm courtesy of Gibbs and The Professionals, which in this case includes Lloyd Parks, Robbie Shakespeare, Bo Peep, Willie Lindo, Bubblers Waul, Sly Dunbar, and Ruddy Thomas, and the Mighty Two holding down the control room. Includes "Zion Gate" and "Jah Jah See Them A Come" by Culture, "Cassandra", "How Can I Leave", "Money In My Pocket" and "Say What Your Saying" by Dennis Brown, "Hello Carl" by Enos McLeod, "I Am Not A Queen" by Marcia Aitkens, "Rockers Choice" by Xanadu & Sweet Lady, "Every Day Is Just A Holiday" by Ruddy Thomas, and "Rock Party" by Joe Gibbs & The Professionals. LP, Vinyl record album

Bob Dylan and his incomparable band take on old school pop standards for the second album in a row – and it's a real charmer! Fallen Angels has a lot in common with the preceding Strangers In The Night, as they're again taking on songs recorded by, and in some cases popularized by Sinatra, but this one goes a bit deeper into the classic American songbook – and it's all the better for it. Dylan's reputation as a songwriter is borderline biblical, while his reputation as a conventionally gifted singer is, well...something else – so there's a sly allurement here that's not lost on the headliner. He's paying earnest tribute to the songs themselves – which in the course of pop history have been overshadowed by the voices singing them – and on that front, it's masterful! Still, Dylan's raspy croon is pretty darn charismatic itself on this material, making it another late career gem. Longtime Dylan players Charlie Sexton, Stu Kimball, Tony Garnier, George Recile and Donnie Herron make the instrumental magic happen, along with newer Dylan player (though longtime session guitar ace) Dean Parks – but extra credit to Herron, whose steel guitar sound makes it extra special. Includes "Young At Heart", "Maybe You'll Be There", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "All The Way", "Skylark", "Nevertheless", "All Or Nothing At All", "It Had To Be You", "Melancholy Mood", "That Old Black Magic" and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". CD

Still the Atlanta duo's high water mark – and yes, we did love Stankonia. Relentless hype, Grammys, and the Village Voice be damned! Tracks include "Rosa Parks", "Skew It On The Bar-B" featuring Raekwon, "Aquemini", "Synthesizer" featuring George Clinton, "Mamacita", and "Liberation" featuring Cee-Lo. 16 tracks total. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Hal Willner project – similar to his tributes to Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus! The set's based around the songs of Kurt Weil – with interesting performances by folks who include Van Dyke Parks, Todd Rundgren, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Carla Bley, and John Zorn. CD

A treasure trove of classic soul – 5CDs and 100 tracks in all – all with the upbeat, soaring vibe that's always made these underground American cuts such favorites on the UK Northern Soul scene! The package starts with Motown, then really takes off – featuring loads of killer cuts from Chicago, Philly, and beyond – almost all from the late 60s, but with a few contributions from other years too – and all of the chart-shy quality that belies the love of rare and unusual cuts that made the Northern Soul dancefloors such a groundbreaking place for soul. Titles include "I'm In Your Hands" by Mary Love, "Baby I Miss You" by Tommy Good, "I'm Glad I Fell In Love With You" by OC Smith, "Sign On The Dotted Line" by Gene Latter, "Compared To What" by Mr Flood's Party, "Baby Hit & Run" by The Contours, "Baby Without You" by Danny Monday, "I Hurt On The Other Side" by Sidney Barnes, "Name It You got It" by Mickey Moonshine, "For This I Thank You" by Gino Parks, "Love Runs Out" by Willie Hutch, "Soul Self Satisfaction" by Earl Jackson, "Marching Out Of Your Life" by The Heartstoppers, "I'm Gonna Pick Up My Toys" by The Devonnes, "Just Another Heartache" by Little Richie, "Can't Satisfy" by The Impressions, "Never Say No To Your Baby" by The Hit Pack, "Who's Little Girl Are You" by Danny Williams – and lots lots more! CD

A key lost chapter of the ultra-hip early 70s Warner Brothers rock scene – lost recordings by Jack Nitzsche, a key figure from the same scene as Van Dyke Parks, Jimmy Webb, Randy Newman, and other legendary figures. Nitzsche first emerged in the 60s as kind of a Phil Spector-like wunderkind – but by the time of these 70s recordings, he'd stretched out considerably – working in orchestral formats, as he'd later use on some of his best soundtrack work, and also exploring the more adult side of contemporary rock – with a pastiche of themes, manners, and modes borrowed from Americana, and filtered through the same Burbank-hip filter used by Van Dyke Parks. The first 6 tracks on the set are from the obscure album St Giles Cripplegate, and are mostly orchestral – and the remaining tunes weren't even released until the turn of the millennium! The include ones recorded for the album Jack Nitzsche – a collaboration with Robert Downey, due for release in 1974, and done with a style that's a bit like the best reprise work of Parks, Webb, Newman, and Paul and/or Mason Williams. These tracks all have vocals, and a wonderfully earthy, honest, and adult feel – and they're very nicely complemented by the remaining 4 tracks, which are demos, also previously unissued. Titles include "I'll Bet She Knew It", "On The Moodus Run", "Marie", "Number Eleven", "Carly", "Reno", "I'm The Loneliest Fool", and "Who Say What To Who". CD

A mighty tribute to the days before iPods and headphones – when the only option for portable music was the boombox – a sonic powerhouse that ruled the streets and the subways, and seemed to create an instant party whenever it arrived! The tracks here are underground gems from back in the day of the boombox – the kind of cuts that should never, ever be played on earbods – and instead need to be rocked out of speakers that are as big as you could hope to find – preferably with the bass turned up as high as it will go! Music is mostly old school hip hop, but also has that mix of rhymes and vocals that was coming into play as the parties moved from the streets and parks into the recording studio – all to create the kind of cuts that would always sound best on the boombox! Titles include "Another One Bites The Dust" by Sugar Daddy, "Thumpin" by Brothers Disco, "Class A" by Majestics, "On The Move" by Mifflin Ensemble, "Get Fly" by TJ Swann & Company, "Low Rider Rap" by Poor Boy Rappers, "Teen Machine Rap" by Teen Machine, "Ms DJ Rap It Up" by She, "Rhythm Rock (part 1)" by The Caution Crew, "Smooth Talk" by Mr Fox, "Gigolo Rapp" by Disco Daddy & Capt Rapp, "Wack Rap" by Solid C Bobby D & Kool Drop, and "Rhapazooty In Blue" by Sicle Cell & Rhapazooty. CD

A mighty tribute to the days before iPods and headphones – when the only option for portable music was the boombox – a sonic powerhouse that ruled the streets and the subways, and seemed to create an instant party whenever it arrived! The tracks here are underground gems from back in the day of the boombox – the kind of cuts that should never, ever be played on earbods – and instead need to be rocked out of speakers that are as big as you could hope to find – preferably with the bass turned up as high as it will go! Music is mostly old school hip hop, but also has that mix of rhymes and vocals that was coming into play as the parties moved from the streets and parks into the recording studio – all to create the kind of cuts that would always sound best on the boombox! Titles include "Another One Bites The Dust" by Sugar Daddy, "Thumpin" by Brothers Disco, "Class A" by Majestics, "On The Move" by Mifflin Ensemble, "Get Fly" by TJ Swann & Company, "Low Rider Rap" by Poor Boy Rappers, "Teen Machine Rap" by Teen Machine, "Ms DJ Rap It Up" by She, "Rhythm Rock (part 1)" by The Caution Crew, "Smooth Talk" by Mr Fox, "Gigolo Rapp" by Disco Daddy & Capt Rapp, "Wack Rap" by Solid C Bobby D & Kool Drop, and "Rhapazooty In Blue" by Sicle Cell & Rhapazooty. LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued album by funky guitar legend Melvin Sparks – recorded right after his final record for the Westbound label, and appearing here for the first time ever! Sparks first rose to fame via funky work with Lonnie Smith and Lou Donaldson in the late 60s, the cut some killer albums of his own and with organist Leon Spencer in the 60s – before disappearing a bit until a great revival in more recent years! This set represents Sparks right before he dropped off the map – a session that's done with a sweet jazz funk vibe that shows the way that labels like Westbound were picking up some of the style of the successful CTI/Kudu imprint – mixing some larger charts with the leader's solo strengths – allowing maybe some more soulful influences in the rhythms, while still going for a jazz funk approach overall. The set's much more instrumental than Sparks' last record for Westbound, which had more vocals – and although a few tracks have an upbeat clubby style, most of the music is more in a midtempo mode. Titles include "Love Tones", "I'm Funky Now", "I'm Gonna Funk You Up", "You're Gonna Make It", "The Truth Hurts", "Make It Good", and "Disco Booty". CD

Wicked work from the legendary Melvin Sparks – 2 of his rare post-Prestige sides for the short-lived Eastbound jazz label! Texas Twister is one of Melvin's funkiest albums ever – done in a style that's even harder and rawer than his work for Prestige! The sound is lean and often a bit rough around the edges – with possibly more funk than even jazz in the mix – and players on the set include Caesar Frazier on organ, Bad Bascomb on bass, Ron Bridgewater on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums! Prestige funk maestro Bob Porter produced the whole thing, and gets a beautifully soulful sound out of all players – rounding out Melvin's totally cooking work on guitar with some equally great contributions from the rest. Titles include "Whip Whop", "Judy's Groove", "Star In The Crescent", "Texas Twister", "Gathering Together", and "I Want to Talk About You". Melvin Sparks 75 is a record that moves the guitarist a bit more into soul territory than the funky jazz of his early 70s years – but it's still a heck of a great little record overall! The tracks are shorter than before and the backings are bigger – but Melvin's work on the strings still gets plenty of space in the arrangements, and there's more than a few funky instrumentals here that more than make the album great. Plus, Little Jimmy Scott sings vocals on a few cuts – "I Got To Have You" and "If You Want My Love" – both done in a style that's fuller and more soulful than any of the work cut under his own name! Other tracks are mostly instrumental, and include the funky numbers "Bump & Stomp", "Get Down With The Get Down", and "Get Ya Some" – plus "Looking For Love", "In The Morning", and "Mocking Bird". CD

Massive funkiness! This album ranks as one of the best from the early 70's period at Prestige, and it features a crack group of young heavy hitters like Sparks on guitar, Leon Spencer on organ, Grover Washington on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all wailing, just wailing, away on long funky tracks with solos that go waaaaay over the top! There's a full, extended brilliance here that has to be heard to be believed – an intensity of jazz funk energy that few groups or scenes in later years ever matched. Tracks include the wild "Conjunction Mars", "Spark Plug", and a funky cover of "Who's Gonna Take The Weight". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning moments of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe – a set in which it seemed that everything the group was trying for really came together – in a mode that's both tuneful and timeless, and which – a bit like Sparks or 10CC – was slightly out of time with the rest of the rock scene in the 70s! There's a few surprisingly catchy numbers – of the sort that should have made the group even bigger on the international scene – but Nelson also manages to work in lots of keyboard magic, too – in that compressed approach to his prog inclinations, which was always the appeal of the group. The set's neither glam nor punk, nor prog or classic rock – very much its own sort of thing – with titles include "Fair Exchange", "Life In The Air Age", "Ships In The Night", "Crystal Gazing", "Blazing Apostles", and "Beauty Secrets". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the crowning moments of Bill Nelson and Be Bop Deluxe – a set in which it seemed that everything the group was trying for really came together – in a mode that's both tuneful and timeless, and which – a bit like Sparks or 10CC – was slightly out of time with the rest of the rock scene in the 70s! There's a few surprisingly catchy numbers – of the sort that should have made the group even bigger on the international scene – but Nelson also manages to work in lots of keyboard magic, too – in that compressed approach to his prog inclinations, which was always the appeal of the group. The set's neither glam nor punk, nor prog or classic rock – very much its own sort of thing – with titles include "Fair Exchange", "Life In The Air Age", "Ships In The Night", "Crystal Gazing", "Blazing Apostles", and "Beauty Secrets". This deluxe version comes in a 10" case, with a nice booklet of notes – and the first 2CDs feature the original stereo mix, remastered – plus a new 2018 stereo mix – and bonus tracks that include "Ships In The Night (single)", "Beauty Secrets (first version)", "Crying To The Sky (first version)", "Ships In The Night (alt vocal)", "Crystal Gazing (alt vocal)", and "The Mystery Demo". CD3 features 9 more recordings done for BBC in 1976 – some for John Peel, some for BBC In Concert. DVD features a 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the old and new versions of the album – plus a promo video for "Ships In The Night", and BBC TV performances of "Ships In The Night" and "Fair Exchange". 68 page book features unseen photos from Bill Nelson's private collection, a new essay by Bill, and even more notes – plus a facsimile concert program, a replica of a Harvest press release, four postcards, and a replica of a promo poster! CD

From the title, to the cover, to the gritty grooves way down in the wax – this has got to be one of the funkiest Blue Note albums ever – a real landmark from the legendary Lou Donaldson! The set kicks off with a hard and heavy groove from the very first note – thanks to some super-tight drumming by a young Idris Muhammad – still billed under his birth name of Leo Morris on the sleeve, but already hitting the kit with that snapping post-Popcorn style that would revolutionize funky jazz in years to come! Donaldson's plenty smoking himself on electrified alto sax – played with that great mix of flatness and echo that you'd hear in Eddie Harris' albums of the same time – and the rest of the lineup is equally cooking, with Melvin Sparks on guitar, Charles Earland on organ, and Ed Williams blasting away on funky trumpet! Titles include killer remakes of "It's Your Thing" and "Who's Making Love" – plus Donaldson originals "Hot Dog" and "Turtle Walk" – all nice and long, and with a really raw sound! CD

2 killers from organist Caesar Frazier – back to back on one CD! Hail Ceasar is a monster bit of funky jazz – filled with long tracks that all jam mightily, all at a level that matches or tops the best work coming out of Prestige or Blue Note Records at the time! The set is one of the rare few on the Eastbound jazz subsidiary of Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records – and it's the first to feature organist Ceasar Frazier as a leader – really grooving hard here with a Prestige-styled combo that includes Idris Muhammad on funky drums, Melvin Sparks on heavy guitar, and Houston Person on soulful sax – all produced with a gritty gritty edge by the legendary Bob Porter! The whole album's great – filled with incredible cuts that include a version of "Hicky-Burr", the first Bill Cosby theme – plus the tracks "Make It With You", "Running Away", "Hail Ceasar!", and "See-F". Ceasar Frazier 75 is a tightly grooving set that expands his sound a bit from the first! All the best elements are still in place here – including funky organ from Ceasar, production from jazz funk maestro Bob Porter, and a hip range of players that includes Horace Ott, Wilbur Bascomb, and Bernard Purdie. But the overall sound is somewhat shifted too – brought more into the tightly jamming jazz funk mode of the mid 70s – a bit richer and fuller overall, yet never in a way that's slick or sloppy – just more like some of the best later sides on Prestige or Fantasy from the same stretch. The record features a crazy version of the "Mighty Mouse Theme", a mellow take on the Isley's "Summer Breeze", Stevie Wonder's great "Living For The City", and the original "Funk It Down". CD

A seminal album from Hammond giant Lonnie Smith – a bold statement that really gives the organist his own identity after some killer work in the combos of Lou Donaldson and George Benson! Lonnie's one of the key flag-fliers of the new style of funky organ jazz – a mode different from the earlier styles of Jimmy Smith or Jimmy McGriff – leaner, cleaner, and often tied heavily to the drums – which, in this case, are handled by Marion Booker Jr, but in a way that recalls some of the Idris Muhammad greatness on other Blue Note albums of the time. The mighty Pucho (of Latin Soul Brothers fame) plays added timbales, and there's also two more conga players – ensuring a tight, yet complex sort of groove – and the frontline features Lee Morgan on trumpet, David Newman on tenor and flute, and Melvin Sparks on guitar. Tracks are long, with complicated rhythms – and soulful yet sophisticated solos to match – and titles include the seminal "Son Of Ice Bag", a great cover of "Think", and the tracks "Slouchin", "Call Of The Wild", and "Three Blind Mice". LP, Vinyl record album

Supremely heavy work from organist Leon Spencer – one of his classic jazz funk sessions for Prestige Records, and a record that shows him opening up his sound a bit more than before! The album has Spencer working in a few different lineups – some with small groups that feature Melvin Sparks on guitar and Idris Muhammad on drums – others with some slightly larger instrumentation and even a bit of strings, used in a sophisticatedly soulful style that reminds us a bit of CTI or Kudu backings of the time! Billy Ver Planck handles the larger arrangements, but even on these Leon's organ is right out front in the mix – really dominating the tunes, and soaring over the top with a newly fluid style that reminds us of Charles Earland at his own best during this time. Titles include the killer funky title cut – "Bad Walking Woman" – plus "When My Love Has Gone", "In Search Of Love", "Down On Dowling Street", "Hip Shaker", and "Bad Walking Woman". Cool cover, too, with a huge collage of photos of the backsides of exactly 99 "bad walking women"! LP, Vinyl record album

One of those records that really took the ECM approach of the 70s into new modes for the 80s – a set that might be called post-jazz, or post-fusion – even though it's got some of the best elements of both, transformed by the players in the lineup! David Torn leads the group on electric and acoustic guitars – but the set's an equal effort from everyone involved – with trumpets and electronics from Mark Isham, Chapman stick and synth bass from Tony Levin, and both acoustic and electric percussion from Bill Bruford – a player who seems to inspired Torn with his own previous instrumental recordings. Titles include "The Mercury Grid", "Network Of Sparks", "Previous Man", and "Three Minutes Of Pure Entertainment", a song that's actually seven minutes in length! CD

60s genius from the mighty Stanley Turrentine – an under-reissued album, coupled here with a huge amount of bonus tracks! The first part of the CD features material that was recorded in 1967, but not issued until the 70s – partly on the self-titled Stanley Turrentine album, and partly on New Time Shuffle! The album's got Stan working strongly in the Joyride style of his previous Blue Note hit – with larger arrangements from Duke Pearson, in a groove that sets Turrentine's tenor up with plenty of soulful rhythms! Pearson brings a nice sense of lyricism to the session, even a hint of bossa at times – and the sharp-edged Turrentine tone is a welcome one throughout – setting sparks and illuminating corners of the music with a deeply personal feel. Titles include "Blues For Del", "Manha De Carnaval", "Here's That Rainy Day", "She's A Carioca", "What Now My Love", and "Night Song". Added to these tracks are 5 more tunes from a similar Pearson-arranged date recorded a few months later – one that's got a slightly fuller horn section, and a bit less of a bossa groove, but still plenty darn great! Duke brings in a bit more drama at times – especially on some of the slower numbers – and Stan picks up the vibe with his tenor, playing with an almost soundtrack-like sensibility. Titles include "Silver Tears", "Come Back To Me", "A Bluish Bag", and "With This Ring". CD

One of the best 70s albums by this funky organ player – quite different than his work for Blue Note, with a messier funkier edge that's very nice! Reuben Wilson's working with an all-hip lineup, with players who include Melvin Sparks on guitar, Garnett Brown on trombone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and Ray Amando on conga. The groove has a nicely choppy approach to rhythm, which you'll hear on the nice remake of "Cisco Kid", a big sample hit over the years – plus the sweet originals "Groove Grease" and "Snaps", both of which are hard and funky! The album's also got a great cover of "Superfly" – and other tracks that include "The Look Of Love", "We've Only Just Begun", and "Last Tango In Paris". CD

A much groovier set than usual from vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon – thanks to some great backing from the combo of organist Jack McDuff, which also includes guitar from a young Melvin Sparks! The sound here is definitely in keeping with the "blues" in the title – but McDuff's instrumentation brings in a fair bit of jazz as well – and really opens up the tunes with some of the playful rhythms he was laying down on his own records for Prestige in the 60s. And as usual, Witherspoon proves that he's every bit as much a jazz singer as a blues vocalist – by changing things up nicely on most of the tunes, and bringing in inflections that go way past a typical bluesy singing mode. The whole thing's nice and lively, with a really unique feel that's all its own – and titles include "Sweet Slumber", "My Money's Long This Morning Baby", "Part Time Woman", "Late One Evening", "SK Blues", and "Past Forty Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy 45s galore – and a huge dip into the vaults of Prestige Records! This tasty set brings together 18 classics recorded in the heyday of the jazz funk years at Prestige – the late 60s and early 70s, a time when the soul jazz sounds of previous years were being forged into a leaner, meaner, harder-hitting groove. And although the LP was the growing format during these days, there was actually a heck of a lot of great work issued on 45s – still spinning strong with the jukebox crowds in the clubs and tap rooms, and still getting major play on radio stations, where the single was still king. The set features many 45 mixes of funky classics that you might know from LPs – and intersperses them with some other more obscure numbers pulled from full albums – making for an all-solid, all-funky set of tracks from one of the hippest jazz labels ever! Titles include "Fire Eater" by Rusty Bryant, "Don't Knock My Love" by Idris Muhammad, "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons, "Express Yourself" by Idris Muhammad, "Right On" by Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" by Melvin Sparks, "Sing A Simple Song" by Charles Earland, "Son Of Man" by Houston Person, "Listen Here (part 1)" by Freddie McCoy, "Black Talk (part 1)" by Charles Earland, "Message From The Meters" by Leon Spencer, "Reelin With The Feeling" by Charles Kynard, "I Want You Back" by Harold Mabern, and "Thank You (part 1)" by Melvin Sparks. CD

A damn classic entry in the Super Breaks series from BGP – one that's filled with crucial sample cuts from the old school – some really wonderful funky nuggets, brought together here as a great reminder of the tracks that first got us digging back in the day! There's less of the totally obscure numbers here than you might find on other Super Breaks volumes, but things aren't totally mainstream either – and the compilers have not only done a great job of pulling together tracks that were really important for hip hop, but have also managed to put a really fresh spin on the music altogether – reminding us once again that even in the age of digital music, nothing beats a well-done compilation! Titles include "Shifting Gears" by Johnny Hammond, "Mary Mary" by The Monkees, "Scratchin" by Magic Disco Machine, "It's Just Begun" by Jimmy Castor, "Africano" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Apache" by Incredible Bongo Band, "Got To Get A Knutt" by New Birth, "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, "Super Sporm" by Captain Sky, "Who Is He & What Is He To You" by Creative Source, "Funky President" by James Brown, "Blow Your Head" by The JBs, "Johnny The Fox" by Thin Lizzy, "Let A Woman Be A Woman Let A Man Be A Man" by Dyke & The Blazers, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Get Ya Some" by Melvin Sparks. LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked Hammond slammer from Charles Earland – cut at a time when he was working on more electric keyboards for other labels. The set's a killer all the way through – very much in the best early 70s Prestige Records mode – with long tracks that really jam, and a lineup that also includes Melvin Sparks or Jimmy Ponder on guitar, Bill Hardman on trumpet, and Frank Wess on tenor and flute. Righteous originals, like "The Thang" and "We Are Not Alone", plus a nice cover of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime Hammond from the amazing Leon Spencer – heard here at the height of his younger years, when he was cooking up as much magic in the studio as Johnny Hammond or Charles Earland – and really stretching things out, in ways that take the jazz organ format much farther than the giants of a decade before! The date's an all-out great one in the Prestige funky jazz mode – with Spencer on organ, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Grover Washington Jr on tenor, and Idris Muhammad on drums – a bit more subtle than before, but still plenty darn funky! Tracks are nice and long – and the record includes the originals "Louisiana Slim", "Our Love Will Never Die", "The Trouble With Love", and a cover of "Mercy Mercy Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Obscure material by Stanley Turrentine – recorded in 1967, but not issued until 1979, and then only briefly! The album's got Stan working strongly in the Joyride style of his previous Blue Note hit – with larger arrangements from Duke Pearson, in a groove that sets Turrentine's tenor up with plenty of soulful rhythms! Pearson brings a nice sense of lyricism to the session, even a hint of bossa at times – and the sharp-edged Turrentine tone is a welcome one throughout – setting sparks and illuminating corners of the music with a deeply personal feel. Titles include "Blues For Del", "Manha De Carnaval", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "Return of The Prodigal Son". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk from the mighty Reuben Wilson – one of his first few albums for Blue Note, and a solid soulful groover that's right up there with Lou Donaldson's work for the label at the time! Tracks are nice and long, and pretty open – often with that kicking drum sound at the bottom that you'd normally associate with Idris Muhammad, but which is handled here by Tommy Derrick on drums. Melvin Sparks plays some mighty mean guitar – in that great lean early style of his – and the group's completed by John Manning on tenor, a player we don't know at all – but whose lines here are a great counterpart to Wilson's heavy Hammond! Titles include "Orange Peel", "Blue Mode", "Bambu", "Knock On Wood", "Twenty Five Miles", and "Bus Ride". LP, Vinyl record album

Funky jazz from the mighty large Fantasy Records catalog – home to all those great Prestige jazz funk classics at the end of the 60s and start of the 70s! The Jazz Dispensary series has been giving us some well-chosen cuts from this generation, all taken straight from the original master tapes – which makes the tunes crackle a lot more than previous Prestige reissues – and titles on this volume include "The Twang Thing" by Billy Butler, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight (single version)" by Melvin Sparks, "Wander" by Idris Muhammad, "Mamblues" by Cal Tjader, "Cootie Boogaloo" by Rusty Bryant, "Soul Groovin (single version)" by Merl Saunders Quartet, and "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons. LP, Vinyl record album

The classic by Schoolly D – his second album, and the one where he really hits his stride – with profane humor and classic drum machine and oddball sample flavored production! It's almost hard-to-believe nowadays, but the un-PC rhymes were straight up scandalous back in the day – but Schoolly's laidback, charismatic delivery always tempered that language in our minds, and the production sounds fresh to this day. Not everyone agrees with us, but this is definitely one of our favorite favorite hip hop records of the later 80s! Inspired cuts include the title cut, "B-Boy Rhyme and Riddle", "We Get Ill", "Parkside 5-2", "We Get Ill", and the Code Money DJ track, "It's Krack", "Dis Groove Is Bad", "Get N' Paid", "Do It Do It" and the rest. This FTG CD edition is loaded with one-time 12" vinyl-only versions, too – including "Saturday Night (Radio Remix)", "The Magoomba Mix", "Housing The Joint (Instrumental)", "Parkside 5-2 (Radio Edit)" and more. 17 tracks in all. CD

A monster bit of funky jazz – filled with long tracks that all jam mightily, all at a level that matches or tops the best work coming out of Prestige or Blue Note Records at the time! The set is one of the rare few on the Eastbound jazz subsidiary of Detroit soul powerhouse Westbound Records – and it's the first to feature organist Ceasar Frazier as a leader – really grooving hard here with a Prestige-styled combo that includes Idris Muhammad on funky drums, Melvin Sparks on heavy guitar, and Houston Person on soulful sax – all produced with a gritty gritty edge by the legendary Bob Porter! The whole album's great – filled with incredible cuts that include a version of "Hicky-Burr", the first Bill Cosby theme – plus the tracks "Make It With You", "Running Away", "Hail Ceasar!", and "See-F". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best 70s albums by this funky organ player – quite different than his work for Blue Note, with a messier funkier edge that's very nice! Reuben Wilson's working with an all-hip lineup, with players who include Melvin Sparks on guitar, Garnett Brown on trombone, Bob Cranshaw on bass, Mickey Roker on drums, and Ray Amando on conga. The groove has a nicely choppy approach to rhythm, which you'll hear on the nice remake of "Cisco Kid", a big sample hit over the years – plus the sweet originals "Groove Grease" and "Snaps", both of which are hard and funky! The album's also got a great cover of "Superfly" – and other tracks that include "The Look Of Love", "We've Only Just Begun", and "Last Tango In Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

Jazzy 45s galore – and a huge dip into the vaults of Prestige Records! This tasty set brings together 18 classics recorded in the heyday of the jazz funk years at Prestige – the late 60s and early 70s, a time when the soul jazz sounds of previous years were being forged into a leaner, meaner, harder-hitting groove. And although the LP was the growing format during these days, there was actually a heck of a lot of great work issued on 45s – still spinning strong with the jukebox crowds in the clubs and tap rooms, and still getting major play on radio stations, where the single was still king. The set features many 45 mixes of funky classics that you might know from LPs – and intersperses them with some other more obscure numbers pulled from full albums – making for an all-solid, all-funky set of tracks from one of the hippest jazz labels ever! Titles include "Fire Eater" by Rusty Bryant, "Don't Knock My Love" by Idris Muhammad, "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons, "Express Yourself" by Idris Muhammad, "Right On" by Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" by Melvin Sparks, "Sing A Simple Song" by Charles Earland, "Son Of Man" by Houston Person, "Listen Here (part 1)" by Freddie McCoy, "Black Talk (part 1)" by Charles Earland, "Message From The Meters" by Leon Spencer, "Reelin With The Feeling" by Charles Kynard, "I Want You Back" by Harold Mabern, and "Thank You (part 1)" by Melvin Sparks. LP, Vinyl record album